Top 777 Songs: 20 – 11

You can listen to all of these songs by clicking play on this Mixcloud widget:

We’ve reached the top 20! It’s the penultimate post! A few stats before I start the countdown:

Only 8 of the songs in the top 20 were previously in the top 20

Only one of the top 20 songs is a new entry

The top 20 is made up of songs from 9 different bands/artists

The top 20 is 25% Welsh bands, 70% English bands and 5% Canadian (yes, only one song is from a non-British artist)

20

55↑

MelysI Don’t Believe In You

Taken From: Melys – I Don’t Believe In You (single) (2001)

“The less I seem to care, the more you want me there”

Previously my 2nd favourite Melys song, it’s since become my favourite. As I said last time, ‘I can’t see how you couldn’t love it’! It’s just brilliant. It’s not on any of the albums, though it is on the Dutch compilation Suikerspin, if you’re looking to get hold of it. The below video has the best quality audio for it, plus was done by a friend of mine:

19

75↑

The BluetonesMarblehead Johnson

Taken From: The Bluetones – Marblehead Johnson (single) (1996)

“When the skies go clear, the threat of rain is always here with you”

From one awesome single that wasn’t on an album, to another! As I got into The Bluetones fairly late (around the time of Science & Nature), I remember being slightly confused when I first heard them play this live, as I recognised it and it was clearly well known, but it wasn’t on any of the albums I’d bought. I must have looked it up and downloaded it soon after; seemingly from someone who ripped it from ‘Now That’s What I Call Music 35’! I’ve since bought multiple legitimate copies on CD, I hasten to add (plus have it on vinyl too), but it still pleases me that my MP3 copy is tagged as being from Now 35. Anyway, it’s a brilliant song, which I’ve just loved more and more over the years.

18

100↑

CatatoniaBleed

Taken From: Catatonia – Way Beyond Blue (1996)

“Now his intentions unfold, they’re not what they seem. He only wants to take control.”

I love how punchy and in your face this song is. Plus the lyrics are great and quite easily overlooked. As I was writing the lyric above, I realised how apt it seems in the current climate, with women making a stand against abusive men. This song is very much about that. And it’s awesome. Plus I love the video and the random shark. Actually, I saw the video before I owned Way Beyond Blue, so hadn’t heard Bleed before. I’m pretty sure it was the exact video below, as I taped Sky One Long Play one night. Anyway, because it’s the ‘clean version’, it weirdly cuts out where the swearing’s meant to be, so initially I wasn’t sure whether the lyric was something like ‘do you believe this book’, or whether it was ‘bull…’ and had been censored for the single. The latter being true, of course. Although I just watched the below video and they’ve overdubbed it with the album version, so you do get the swearing! Meh, anyway, enjoy:

17

31↑

SuedeThe Living Dead

Taken From: Suede – Stay Together (single) (1994)

“All up the hole in your arm, is the needle a much better screw?”

A fan favourite – my love for it grew and grew as a result of some beautiful live performances – you tend to get the crowd singing along and it’s just a brilliant atmosphere. Plus it’s a really moving song anyway. Here’s a beautiful performance of it at the O2:

16

21↑

The BluetonesKeep The Home Fires Burning

Taken From: The Bluetones – Science & Nature (2000)

“That man who would save us from the hurt the world brings, neglected to mention who would save us from him”

The song that got me into The Bluetones. I heard it on the radio and was just bowled over. Lyrically it’s quite emotional, addressing domestic violence, but I also kinda love how it starts off sounding like a Hovis advert. That’s obviously intentional – setting the scene of some idyllic country lifestyle, when really there are problems beneath the surface. Like in Blue Velvet with the picket fences and then the chopped off ear. Hmm… Has anyone compared The Bluetones to David Lynch before? Is that a first? Anyway, the video brings the added joy of Mark Morriss as a Valkyrie (albeit briefly), which I personally very much enjoy:

15

47↑

CatatoniaGoldfish and Paracetamol

Taken From: Catatonia – International Velvet (1998)

“Coming second best is close to ideal”

A lot of my love for this song has always come from the lyrics – they’re just so good – really clever but also emotional. There was a Radio 1 documentary about International Velvet where Cerys talks about this song and says how it’s about being ‘a hyper-paranoid wreck on a bike at 6 in the morning, trying to find company’, which is such a powerful image. Plus it’s musically really interesting and quite different to most of the album – Mark mentions in that same documentary how it just gets going and then stops, which he really likes as it makes you want to play it again. So feel free to play this and then play it again:

14

52↑

SuedeThe Wild Ones

Taken From: Suede – Dog Man Star (1994)

“We’ll shine like the morning and sin in the sun, oh if you stay“

Ah man, I just discovered another misheard lyric of mine! I had to pull out the Dog Man Star inlay, as I thought the internet was lying to me (which it often does, to be fair). But no, the lyric I thought was ‘we’ll fly through the sky’s suburban grays’ is actually ‘we’ll ride from disguised suburban graves’. Damn it. I’m so going to just keep singing that incorrectly. Plus listening to it again just now – it definitely sounds more like ‘fly’ than ‘ride’! Anyway, specifics of the lyrics aside, it’s a beautiful song, plus one that Brett often describes as his favourite Suede song. Something I also mentioned the last time I did this chart:

This song’s just so so beautiful. I know Brett said it was his favourite Suede song and I totally understand why. My favourite memory of it is at the end of the last gig at the Astoria, when all the fans started singing it acapella – despite the fact they kept telling us all to get out so they could set up for G.A.Y!

Awwww, I miss The Astoria.

13

81↑

OobermanSnakeDance

Taken From: Ooberman – Hey Petrunko (2003)

“How many butterflies have died in growing old and trying to please the ones they least admire?”

I’d imagine this is quite a marmite track! I said this about it last time:

One of those songs that when I heard it for the first time I just went ‘what on earth was that?!!!’. It grew on me more and more though and I very quickly fell in love with it. And it was just amazing live!! Danny playing the violin was just ‘wow’! Brilliant. I especially love the album version.

Yep, it’s a very rare track in that my favourite version isn’t the first one I heard – the extra bits you get on the album version, compared to the one on the Bluebell Morning EP, just take it to another level. It’s also really interesting to read Dan’s notes on it at the bottom of this page. I’d partly love for Ooberman to play live again, in the hope that they’d do this, as it was so good (though I’d take them playing live in any form – with or without SnakeDance). That bit where there’s the pause and then the 3 notes of bass!! Love love love it. Really wish there was at least some video footage or something, but it was pre-smartphone!

12

9↓

The BluetonesSleazy Bed Track

Taken From: The Bluetones – Return To The Last Chance Saloon (1998)

“Climb up here with me and let’s forget about sleep”

I spent quite a while debating which order to put ‘Marblehead Johnson’, ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’ and this song in, as I love them all about the same. However, in the end I decided that ‘Sleazy Bed Track’ was still my favourite Bluetones song, even if only just. There’s just something about the style of it. I do enjoy a bit of sleaze (in a song!!).

11

NEW
ENTRY

Hawksley WorkmanJealous Of Your Cigarette

“I’m jealous of your cigarette and how you wanna suck on it, and not me”

It’s the one new entry in the top 20, plus the one non-British entry! Good work Mr Workman. My favourite track of his was actually Striptease for a long time, but then at some point this took over and has stayed at the top. I love how fast the lyrics are and just how catchy it is. The video’s a favourite too:

Songs that previously charted in these positions in 2005 but have now dropped out of the chart:

17. Remy Zero – Save Me (Yes, the theme to Smallville. This is the highest charting song to have totally dropped out of the chart.)